Museum of Science, Boston

Dec. 11, 1962 : Having lunch at the table and enjoying the view of Boston from the Skylight Room Cafeteria were (from left) David Harper of Chapel Hill, N.C., Marie Gilmartin of Wollaston, and Rick Hausman of New York. The Skylight Room sat atop the newly opened Countway Memorial Building, named for the late Boston industrialist Francis A. Countway. The multimillion-dollar seven-story structure was made possible by a gift from his sister, Sandra Countway.
Ollie Noonan Jr./Globe Staff

Museum of Science, Boston

Feb. 9, 1959: Construction of the central building of the Museum of Science was underway. The cornerstone for the East Wing and Planetarium, which opened in 1951 and are shown to the right, was laid on Dec. 14, 1949. Into a copper box sealed within the cornerstone went a front page of the Dec. 14 Boston Evening Globe, samples of soils from all the New England states, and messages from the six New England governors. Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid Land instant camera, took pictures of the event that were also included.

Boston Globe Archive
| December 12, 2012

Dec. 11, 1962 : Having lunch at the table and enjoying the view of Boston from the Skylight Room Cafeteria were (from left) David Harper of Chapel Hill, N.C., Marie Gilmartin of Wollaston, and Rick Hausman of New York. The Skylight Room sat atop the newly opened Countway Memorial Building, named for the late Boston industrialist Francis A. Countway. The multimillion-dollar seven-story structure was made possible by a gift from his sister, Sandra Countway.

Ollie Noonan Jr./Globe Staff
| December 12, 2012

July 3, 1966: The Telephone Lab was a popular exhibit where children could listen to their own voices on the telephone and learn how sound is transmitted by telephone. On specially constructed telephones, children made a call, then listened as their messages were played back. A meter indicated whether their voices were too loud, too soft, or at the correct pitch.

Boston Globe Archive
| December 12, 2012

March 26, 1967: Every year since its establishment in 1951, the Museum of Science broke attendance records. Under the broad mission of the museum's services, Director Bradford Washburn stressed that its aim is to broaden horizons. "We are not here to teach people science," he said, "but to expose them to science. In addition many youngsters are getting and will continue to receive the first spark of interest in their life's work within our walls."

Boston Globe Archive
| December 12, 2012

Oct. 26, 1967: A young visitor to the Museum of Science studied the 40-foot mural of the moon painted by Chesley Bonestell, architect, astronomer, and recognized as the country's leading space theme illustrator. It was nearly two more years before Neil Armstrong became the first human to step onto the surface of the actual moon on July 21, 1969.

Boston Globe Archive
| December 12, 2012

April 17, 1970: Construction of the Museum of Science's West Wing was underway. The wing was the first exhibits building to be built on the Cambridge side of Science Park.

Boston Globe Archive
| December 12, 2012

June 7, 1970: Two Boston school students visited the Museum of Science to learn about electricity in a hands-on demonstration of a Tesla coil.

Boston Globe Archive
| December 12, 2012

March 26, 1970: Helping to celebrate Spooky the Owl's 19th birthday were (from left) Brian Hurst, 1½, Renee Kellan, 4, Robbie Kellan, 3 and Amy Boyle, 3, all of Andover. Spooky was brought to the museum in 1951 after he was found in Milton minutes after he had apparently fallen from his mother's nest. He demonstrated how owls fly silently, turn their head more than 360 degrees with a stationary body, and see in bright daylight as well as darkness. His birthday was celebrated every year until he died at the age of 38, the longest living great horned owl in captivity.

Joseph Runci/ Globe Staff
| December 12, 2012

April 10, 1972: It's a good bet that motorists got a start as this truck bore down on them. The huge model of Tyrannosaurus rex was being transported from the studios of a New York sculptor to its new home at the museum's newly constructed West Wing. The effort to join the head of the dinosaur, which has been on display since 1966, to its body was funded by a game called "Pin the Head on the Dinosaur." The game was sold for $2 and all proceeds were matched dollar for dollar by Filene’s until the $50,000 goal was reached.

Ted Dully/Globe Staff
| December 12, 2012

July 27 ,1972 : The full-scale model of the Tyrannosaurus rex got situated in his new home in the West Wing, where it was exhibited in an open 55-foot-high well visible from all three floor levels. The head of the dinosaur has been on display above the entrance hall since 1966.

Charles Carey / Globe Staff
| December 12, 2012

April 11, 1977: Sixth-graders from the Newbury Elementary School got a different perspective on a common problem as they viewed the common house fly exhibit on a visit to the Museum of Science.